Isla restaurant review ★★★★★
Chef Adam Rawson serves up light, bright small plates in Isla restaurant at The Standard Hotel
Isla at The Standard
With Brutalist exteriors and a delightfully kitsch aesthetic within, Kings Cross's new Standard Hotel feels like a playful 70s throwback complete with shag-pile and clashing colours.
But the hotel's destination restaurant, Isla, adds a decidedly contemporary coolness. The interiors may be a celebration of 1970s maximalism, with tactile textures, primary colours and hi-shine formica, but the menu and atmosphere feels totally 2019.
Chef Adam Rawson, who comes from Marylebone's Patchamama and was hailed the Young British Food chef of the year in 2015, has curated a fresh, inventive menu. Though it ticks all the trend boxes - seasonal, small plates, fermentation, sections for 'sea', 'soil' and 'land' - the dishes still feel distinct.
The beauty is in the simplicity: a plate piled with vivid green Padron Peppers, a selection of sour fermented raw vegetables with a creamy pea houmous, or simply the sour dough bread smothered with tangy cultured butter. The same thing applies to the well-curated cocktail selection, where nothing is too sugary or overpowering.
Rawson has a knack for elevating a dish with an unexpected clash. The richness of a burrata is enhanced by the fresh, crisp, colourful layer of pickled courgette, and large hunk of broccoli floret is given depth a texture with a thick coating of mustardy yogurt and crushed almonds. The fish and seafood is lip-smackingly fresh.
It's a generally healthy menu, with the kind of colourful dishes that make cleaner eating feel appealing. Even the more indulgent truffle and egg yolk pasta doesn't leave you feeling uncomfortably full.
When we reviewed on a sunny afternoon, there was a buzz of people coming through and a few sun-seekers making the most of the outdoor terrace. Some seemed to be seemed to be stepping in for a casual light bite; others were ordering more extensively for a feast of sharing dishes. For either option, Isla sets the standard high and makes a welcome addition to the increasingly glammed up Kings Cross area.
Isla is now open. Click here to book a table.
But the hotel's destination restaurant, Isla, adds a decidedly contemporary coolness. The interiors may be a celebration of 1970s maximalism, with tactile textures, primary colours and hi-shine formica, but the menu and atmosphere feels totally 2019.
Chef Adam Rawson, who comes from Marylebone's Patchamama and was hailed the Young British Food chef of the year in 2015, has curated a fresh, inventive menu. Though it ticks all the trend boxes - seasonal, small plates, fermentation, sections for 'sea', 'soil' and 'land' - the dishes still feel distinct.
The beauty is in the simplicity: a plate piled with vivid green Padron Peppers, a selection of sour fermented raw vegetables with a creamy pea houmous, or simply the sour dough bread smothered with tangy cultured butter. The same thing applies to the well-curated cocktail selection, where nothing is too sugary or overpowering.
Rawson has a knack for elevating a dish with an unexpected clash. The richness of a burrata is enhanced by the fresh, crisp, colourful layer of pickled courgette, and large hunk of broccoli floret is given depth a texture with a thick coating of mustardy yogurt and crushed almonds. The fish and seafood is lip-smackingly fresh.
It's a generally healthy menu, with the kind of colourful dishes that make cleaner eating feel appealing. Even the more indulgent truffle and egg yolk pasta doesn't leave you feeling uncomfortably full.
When we reviewed on a sunny afternoon, there was a buzz of people coming through and a few sun-seekers making the most of the outdoor terrace. Some seemed to be seemed to be stepping in for a casual light bite; others were ordering more extensively for a feast of sharing dishes. For either option, Isla sets the standard high and makes a welcome addition to the increasingly glammed up Kings Cross area.
Isla is now open. Click here to book a table.
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| What | Isla restaurant review |
| Where | The Standard Hotel, London, 10 Argyle Street , London , WC1H 8EG | MAP |
| Nearest tube | King's Cross St. Pancras (underground) |
| Price | £££ |
| Website | Click here for more information and to book |